Elizabeth Jones, a Virginia woman who faked being pregnant to dupe an Orange County couple in 2018, pleaded guilty to eight felony counts Wednesday and will serve two years in state prison.

Jones’ trial ended abruptly when she decided to plead guilty during the jury selection procedure.

Special prosecutor Chuck Slemp made the announcement on the Scott County Courthouse steps, flanked by Laura and Matt Trayte of Lake Forest. The Traytes had been expecting to testify in the case against Jones.

Jones pleaded guilty to eight felony counts of obtaining money by false pretense, one misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice and two parole violations. She agreed to a sentence of 10 years, eight of which were suspended. She is scheduled to serve two years in state prison with the remaining eight years to be added if she commits another crime.

“I feel relieved and thankful that justice has prevailed,” Matt Trayte said. “We were able to hold her accountable for her actions.”

Slemp said Jones committed “unimagineable, outrageous crimes.”

“Her lies resulted in the theft of more than just property, more than just money and meals,” Slemp said. “She intentionally inflicted pain on individuals.”

In late November, the Traytes had flown to Nickelsville, Virginia, to adopt the baby that Jones told them she would be delivering. They took her to dinner, posed for pictures and met her children.

On the morning the baby was supposed to arrive, Jones called them and said she had given birth in the car on the way to the hospital. The Traytes found Jones at the hospital, and she acted like she didn’t know them.

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“This is closure for us on this part of our story,” Laura Trayte said of the guilty plea. “It feels amazing. We pursued it because we knew there should be justice here.”

Jones, an Army veteran and former cake decorator, was on probation for credit card fraud while she was dealing with the Traytes. So technically, when she accepted money and meals, she was committing a parole violation.

In May, Jones was arrested for making threats against Laura Trayte on Facebook.

“This is an important day for justice in this community,” Slemp said. The guilty plea “serves to safeguard this community from her manipulative actions, her ongoing frauds and her cold-hearted efforts to defraud these particular people.”

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